Turkish health minister phones man whose photo became a symbol of wrong use of masks

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Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has telephoned the man whose photo he shared on his social media account last week to draw attention to the importance of using coronavirus facial masks properly.

On June 4, Koca shared on his Twitter account the photo of a man sleeping in a public bus and using his facial mask to serve the purpose of an eye patch.

“Virus is getting spread through the mouth and nose. If mouth or nose is left open, then we are to close our eyes to the truth despite wearing mask. Let's pay heed to the warnings as the risk is so close,” Koca wrote on his post while sharing the photo.

The man -- seen covering his eyes with the facial mask in the photo -- was later revealed to be Hamza Tatlı, a citizen living in the southern province of Mersin's Toroslar district.

Tatlı told state-run Anadolu Agency on June 9 that he was on his way to the hospital with his mother when the photo was taken and he had pulled the mask to his eyes “out of a momentary reflex.”

Tatlı said that Minister Koca telephoned him after his photo went viral on social media. “Our minister said that my mistake had given a message to the public and the photograph received widespread attention. He said that he would provide his support with regards to my mother's treatment and would deal with it soon. This boosted my and my mother's morale," he said.